Mark of a Good Man by Ana E. Ross

Mark of a Good Man
     
     
     
    Amber stretched her slender body in the large hammock hanging on the wrap-a-round veranda, and gazed pensively out at the Caribbean Sea. The sun was heading for the horizon and soon the sky would be bursting with an amalgam of radiant colors. Of all the remarkable sights on this small island, the two she would miss most were the spectacular sunrises and sunsets. She still could not tell which was more breathtaking.
    Regret nipped at her. In two days, she would leave Dulcina and return to her real life in New York City. But the thought of being reunited with her six-year-old twin daughters brought an eager smile to her face. She missed them, but she knew from their daily video chats that they were having a great time in California with their father and grandparents.
    “Why are you outside in this heat, Amber, instead of inside where it’s cool?”
    Amber peeked over the side of the hammock as her best friend Josie walked toward her. Josie was a native of Dulcina, and if it weren’t for her, Amber would have spent her childfree week slaving away at her flower shop in Manhattan and missing her girls even more. Instead, she’d spent the week walking along the sandy beaches, swimming in the sapphire ocean, feasting on spicy foods, and dancing in the moonlight to hypnotic reggae and calypso music at nights.
    “It’s not so hot,” Amber responded, as Josie eased into the hammock opposite hers and curled up like a cat. “There’s a cool breeze coming off the ocean. “How was your nap?” she asked, eyeing Josie under lowered lids.
    “Girl, don’t look at me like that,” Josie retorted, in her melodious Dulcinan accent. “It’s the heat.”
    “Hmm,” Amber murmured. “It gets pretty hot in Colby’s bed at nights, I’d imagine.”
    Josie plucked a slice of papaya from the bowl of fruits sitting on a table between the hammocks, and popped it into her mouth. “Hey, don’t hate me because I’ve got a man. You could’ve been having fun with Colin all week long.”
    Amber sighed and looked off into the horizon again. Colin was one of Josie’s childhood friends, and an Immigration Officer at the airport. Josie had introduced them the day they arrived on the island, and Colin had been pursuing her since, but Amber had remained aloof. She’d been divorced for approximately one year, and she was not looking for a romantic relationship, not even a short-lived one. Her priority at the moment was her daughters. And after the hell her ex had put her through, she didn’t know if she’d ever be ready for love again.
    “Colin’s a nice guy, Amber. I don’t understand why—”
    “Why did you give all this up for New York City?” Amber pointed toward the ocean on one side of the property and a view of Dulcina Peak, a three-thousand-foot lush green mountain on the other side. She and Josie had been down this road several times. Josie was a hopeless romantic, and thought it her duty to fix up every single woman she knew, especially those she was close to. She was a real modern day Cupid.
    Josie laughed. “The grass is always greener, Amber. Don’t you know that? I bet you’ve been fantasizing about selling your business, packing up your kids, and moving on down to this wonderful paradise.”
    Amber chuckled as she reached for a slice of mango and placed it between her lips. As the sweet juices splayed across the roof of her mouth, bringing her taste buds to life, she closed her eyes and savored the moment. Yes, she had been fantasizing about moving to this beautiful island where life seemed so relaxed, compared to New York City. But she knew her dreams were impractical. What would she do to support herself and her kids here? “I’m gonna miss it,” she murmured on a somber note.
    “Me, too. Although I grew up here, it wasn’t until after I left that I really began to appreciate the beauty of my homeland. I guess it’s true that you really never miss the water until the well goes